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Flower Bluff trustees review major ECC expansion in 2025 bond update
Summary
Architects presented design-development plans for the early childhood campus tied to the 2025 bond, proposing roughly 17 new first‑grade classrooms, a larger bus loop and about 278 additional parking spaces; trustees discussed security, tree preservation and next design steps.
RMA Architects presented a design-development update to the Flower Bluff Independent School District board on plans to expand the early childhood campus (ECC) under the 2025 bond program.
Architect Billy Ber told trustees the project responds to site constraints and traffic patterns around parent drop-off and the bus loop. The firm proposed reconfiguring circulation to add roughly 278 parking spaces and a wider bus loop to ease congestion, and to demolish underused older rooms to make way for new construction that would tie the first‑grade program to the ECC under one secure roof.
"We're proposing to add 17 additional classrooms for first grade," Ber said, adding that the plan includes a new gym, a larger media/gathering area and cafeteria improvements to support two serving lines. He described a courtyard‑facing gymnasium with glazing if the budget allows and said the design team is minimizing windows on the street side for security reasons.
Trustees pressed on classroom counts and demolition impact. A board member asked how many square feet of the older wing would be removed; the architect said many of the spaces are currently storage or small special‑education rooms and that district enrollment projections were used to size the addition. The presentation noted the district had reviewed five years of enrollment history and used consultant projections to account for growth.
Playground and site details were discussed. The concept preserves established oaks where possible, converts large portions of active play areas to artificial turf, and splits play spaces for pre‑K and first grade. Teachers at the ECC reportedly have reviewed and approved classroom layouts. The design team also said staff requested a garden and chicken coop for hands‑on learning; district construction and engineering staff suggested that career‑tech students could design and build the coop.
Ber said geotechnical studies are under way to determine whether the freshwater pond on the property will hold water, and that the project will be phased with additive alternates so work can proceed within budget constraints. He said the next board presentation will show exterior and interior concept renderings.
The board did not take an action to approve construction funding at this meeting; trustees moved the project forward in design development and requested additional detail in a future presentation.
